TY - JOUR
T1 - Neurocognitive and Psychosocial Characteristics of Pediatric Patients with Post-Acute/Long-COVID
T2 - A Retrospective Clinical Case Series
AU - Ng, Rowena
AU - Vargas, Gray
AU - Jashar, Dasal Tenzin
AU - Morrow, Amanda
AU - Malone, Laura A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/12/1
Y1 - 2022/12/1
N2 - Objective: Studies suggest a large number of patients have persistent symptoms following COVID-19 infection - a condition termed "long COVID."Although children and parents often report cognitive difficulties after COVID, very few if any studies have been published including neuropsychological testing. Methods: A retrospective chart review was completed for the first 18 patients referred for a neuropsychological evaluation from a multidisciplinary pediatric post-COVID clinic. The neuropsychological screening battery assessed verbal fluency and category switching, attention, working memory, processing speed, and verbal learning and memory. Patients' caregivers also completed standardized questionnaires regarding day-to-day mood and behavior. Results: At intake, the most common neurologic symptoms reported by caregivers were attention problems (83.3%), fatigue/lethargy (77.7%), sleep disturbance (77.7%), dizziness/vertigo (72.2%), and headaches (72.2%). On rating scales, most caregivers endorsed concerns for depressed mood and anxiety (14/15 and 12/15). A large proportion of patients had difficulties with attention (9/18) and depressed mood/anxiety (13/18) before COVID. On cognitive testing, the majority of the patients performed within or above broad average range (≥16th percentile) across most domains. However, a little over half of the patients performed below average on auditory attention measures. Conclusions: Within our clinically referred sample, children who reported lingering cognitive symptoms after COVID-19 often had a preexisting history of attention and/or mood and anxiety concerns. Many of these patients performed below average in attention testing, but it remains to be seen whether this was due to direct effects of COVID, physical symptoms, and/or preexisting difficulties with attention or mood/anxiety.
AB - Objective: Studies suggest a large number of patients have persistent symptoms following COVID-19 infection - a condition termed "long COVID."Although children and parents often report cognitive difficulties after COVID, very few if any studies have been published including neuropsychological testing. Methods: A retrospective chart review was completed for the first 18 patients referred for a neuropsychological evaluation from a multidisciplinary pediatric post-COVID clinic. The neuropsychological screening battery assessed verbal fluency and category switching, attention, working memory, processing speed, and verbal learning and memory. Patients' caregivers also completed standardized questionnaires regarding day-to-day mood and behavior. Results: At intake, the most common neurologic symptoms reported by caregivers were attention problems (83.3%), fatigue/lethargy (77.7%), sleep disturbance (77.7%), dizziness/vertigo (72.2%), and headaches (72.2%). On rating scales, most caregivers endorsed concerns for depressed mood and anxiety (14/15 and 12/15). A large proportion of patients had difficulties with attention (9/18) and depressed mood/anxiety (13/18) before COVID. On cognitive testing, the majority of the patients performed within or above broad average range (≥16th percentile) across most domains. However, a little over half of the patients performed below average on auditory attention measures. Conclusions: Within our clinically referred sample, children who reported lingering cognitive symptoms after COVID-19 often had a preexisting history of attention and/or mood and anxiety concerns. Many of these patients performed below average in attention testing, but it remains to be seen whether this was due to direct effects of COVID, physical symptoms, and/or preexisting difficulties with attention or mood/anxiety.
KW - Attention
KW - COVID-19
KW - Long COVID
KW - Neuropsychiatry
KW - Post-acute COVID syndrome
KW - SARS-CoV-2
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U2 - 10.1093/arclin/acac056
DO - 10.1093/arclin/acac056
M3 - Article
C2 - 35901463
AN - SCOPUS:85141689910
SN - 0887-6177
VL - 37
SP - 1633
EP - 1643
JO - Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology
JF - Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology
IS - 8
ER -